Hat.



HAT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 15, I916.

Patented Jan. 9,1917.

INVEN To'R WITNESS arromvsvs FDS ATES PAT oron.

' WILLIAM comma. or PHILADELP IA, PENNSYLVANIA.

' HAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 1c, 1916. Serial No. 78,568. 1

'hat;, to provide means whereby a hat may be made substantiallyself-conforming, thus avoiding, except. in extreme cases, the necessityof shaping or blocking the hat in order to adapt it to individualpeculiarities in the form or configuration of the head of the person bywhom it is intended to be worn, and to provide cushioning means whichshall be efi'ective during the life of the hat and which will not becomeinoperative through age or constant usage, so that the sweat band shallalways present a soft and yielding surface to the head of the wearerwhen the hat is in use.

Further objects of my invention are to provide cushioning meanshavingthe foregoing characteristics, which shall not add materially tothe cost of manufacture of the hat; which shall not detract from theappearance of the finished hat,- and which maybe. readily embodied inany desired type or style of hat.

- My invention further includes all of theother various novel objectsand features of construction and arrangement hereinafter more definitelyspecified and described.

In tion of ordinary form, although it will be understood that the hats,Figure 1. being a central vertical, longitudinal section through thehat, showing a preferred embodiment of the invention,

a portion of the sweat band of the hat being broken away and turned downfor the sake of clearness; Fig. 2. an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical,longitudinal central sec tionthe. parts being shown in operativeposition, andFig. 3, a similar view with certain of the parts turneddown to more readily illustrate the construction. Fig. 4.

is an enlarged,

the accompanying. drawing the inven-' is shown as embodied in a Derbyhat invention is equally body adapted for use in other types or stylesof of the hat and adjacent fragmentary view similar to.

Fig. 2. illustrating a slightly modified form of the invention.

Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

Referring now to that form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1-3inclusive, the

same is shown in a Derby hat of. ordinary form having the usual body 1,brim 2, and sweat band 3. For the purpose of securing the sweat bandwithin the hat, a strip of oiled silk or other material 4, which ispreferably of relatively less thickness than as shown in the drawing, isfolded over a suitable wire or cord 6 and secured adjacent the innerperiphery of the hat body by suitable.

stitches 8 extending through the material .2

adjacent the wire andinto the hat-body in the usual manner, the freeends 9 of the materlal projecting upwardly for a short distance into thehat. The lower edge 12 of the sweat band is adapted to be secured to thematerial 4 by suitable stitching 13 in such manner that the sweat bandwhen in operative position will extend upwardly into the body of the butas .shown in Fig. 1. in the ordinary way. Instead, however, of utilizinga sweat band stantially equal to length of the interior of the hat body1 adjacent the wire 6, a sweat band ofv somewhat shorter length isemployed, and durhaving a len h sub- .the circum erential mg theoperationof attaching it to the mathe sweat'band in the finished hat tostand out from the interior of the hat, leaving a space 14 between theband and the hat body. In the preferred embodiment of my invention,'I soproportion the length of the sweat band to the length of the wire'orcord 6. which interior circumferential length of the hat adjacent itslower edge, that the band may be drummed for about one half of thedistance from, the front of the hat to the rear thereof on either sideof the median Hence in the finished hat the space 14. will extend for a.substantially similar distance, while in the. rear portion of the hatthe p the interior of the body as shown in Fig. 1. Between the sweat.band 3 and the body 1 the front thereof, is directed toward (which inthe drawing the sheet, and exthe right hand edge of tending rearwardlyon in practice is'substantially that of the either si e of the 185 sweatband will lie closely adjacent median line, is positioned a'suitablestrip or band of resilient material 15 hereinafter referred to as thepad and which in the finished hat is designed to lie within the arelatively non-stretchable band or strip 16 of cloth or other suitablematerial secured thereto in any suitable and convenient manner, as bymeans ofsuitable stitches 18, extending through the cloth and throughthe pad. In practice, this strip 16 is of rela .tively less thicknessthan. as shown in the drawing, where the proportions are exa gerated forthe sake of clearness. Instea however, ofa merely sewing. or otherwiseuniting the strip 16 to the pad when the latter is in normal conditionand before securing it in the hat as hereinafter described, the strip ispreferably sewed to the pad. when the latter is under a considerablelongitudinal strain or tension, whereby it is somewhat elongated. Forexample, when the pad has a normal len h of say six inches, it ispreferably stretc ed to a length of approximately eight inches beforethe strip 15 secured thereto. Of course, after this operation isaccomplished and the tension upon the pad is released, the latter willresume its normal length, I in consequence fulling or pnckering up thestrip 16, but

when the latter issecured in the hat, as

hereinafter described, the'strip is stretched sufliciently to do awaywith this puckering orfulling.

While the strip and the resilient pad may be madeof any' desired length,in practice it is considered desirable to have them ex-,

tend in the finished hat for about one-half of the distance from thefront of the hat to the rear and on either side of the median line; thatis, for about the same distance or 1 a little less than the drummingpreferably extends, although if desired, the sweatband can be drummedfor the full length of the a .7 ljacent, the ii;

wire and the padland its adjacent striparranged to extend for the wholedistance around the interior of thehat, or any desired fraction thereof.I

,The process of assembling a hat embodythe invention is substantiallysimilar to.

that atpresent employed in hats of the usual type, and may consist insuitably se- .curing the oiled silk or other material 4 which has beenfolded overthe wire 6, to the interior of the hat, with the wire ad-'thereof by stitchin 8 in such manner t the free'ends 9 of t e materialextend normally upward into the body pad 15 may be secured to the freeupwardly projecting portions of the material 4 inclosing the wire 6,preferably by means of suitable stitches 20 extending through the strip16, the pad inclosed by it, and the free ends of the material 4, theedges of the pad covered by the strip 16 extending upwardly within thehat and substantially parallel with the free ends 9 of the material 4.It will be understood that during this operation the strip 16 isextended to substantially its normal length so that after itis securedin place the rubber or other resilient mate rial forming the body of thepad will be constantly subjected to a considerable longitudinal tension.The various parts having been assembled, the sweat band may be turned upinto the hat to assume its normal "operative position, which operationwill serve to turn the pad over; upon itself to assume the positionshown in Figs. 1 and 2,

in which it will rest between the sweat band and the body of the hat inspace 14.

It will thus be seen that a soft resilient cushion is providedpreferably in the front part of the hat and at that portion thereofwhich normally engages the forehead and temples of the wearer, and thatthis cushion will not mat down and become useless after the hat has beenworn for some time owing to the resiliency of the pad and its constanttendency to force the sweat band away from the interior wall-of the hatbody, whereby the band is prevented from stretching and its spacedrelation with the body of the hat adjacent the forehead and temples ofthe wearer continually preserved.

, In Fig. 4, is shown a slightly modified form of the invention, inwhich the pad 25, is formed of a single sheet-of rubber or othersuitable material, instead of a folded sheet as in the form of theinvention heretofore described, this sheet being united to the strip orbinding 16 while under tension, and

the whole secured to the material 4 inclosing wire 6 duringthe-operation of assembling the hat in a-manner similar to thatheretofore described, the operation of the pad'in the finished hat inthis form of the invention being substantially similar to that of thepad 15 in the preferred form of the invention. p

In order to clearly illustrate the details While I have hereinillustrated and de-' scribed certain embodiments of my invention withconsiderable particularity, I do not thereby intend or desire to limitmyself specifically thereto, as it will be evident that variouschanges'and modifications may be made in the details of construction andarrangement of the various parts of the invention and that the variouselements comprising the finished hat may be assembled in any desired orconvenient way other than that herein described, and that other suitablechanges and modifications may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to protect byLetters Patent of the United-States:

body, of a, sweat band,- and tensioned resilient material disposedbetween said band' and said body independent of said band and extendingpartially around the periphery thereof.

disposed in the space between said body and 2. In a hat, the combinationwith a hat body, of a sweat band spaced from the interior of said body,and resilient material under tension unconnected'to said band and saidband operative to-maintain said band in its spaced relation with saidbody for a portion of its length.

3. In a hat, thecombination with a hatbody, of a sweat band spaced for aportion of its length from the interior of said hat body, and resilientmaterial under longitudinal tension disposed in' the space 'betweensaidbody and said band andindependent thereof operative to v maintain saidband in its spaced relation with said body.

4. In a hat, the combination with a hat body, of a sweat band spacedfrom the interior of said body for a portion of its length and restingclosely ad acent said hat within said hat body body for the balance ofits length, and resilient means normally under longitudinal tensiondisposed between the hat body and that portion-of the sweat band spacedtherefrom and independent of said band operative to maintain saidportion of said sweat band in spaced relation with said body.

5. A hat comprising a hat body, a sweat band, means to secure said sweatband in operative relation with said body, said sweat band beinginitially arranged in spaced relation with the interior of said body,and longitudinally tensioned resilient means secured to said firstmentioned means and normally disposed between said sweat band and saidbody independent of said band and extending partially around theperiphery thereof operative to maintain the initial spaced relation ofsaid sweat band and said body when said hat is in use.

6. A hat comprising a hatbody, a sweat band, means to secure said sweatband'in operative relation with said body, said sweat band beinginitially arranged in spaced relation-with the interior of said body fora.

portion of its length, and tensioned resilient means secured to saidfirst mentioned means and normally disposed between and freely movablewith respect to said sweat band and band which is spaced from said hatbody,

y said body adj aoent that portion ofthe sweat; 1. In a hat, thecombination with a hat said resilient means being operative to maintainthe initially spaced \relation of said sweat band and said body whensaid'hat is.

in use.

7. In a hat, thecombination with a hat body, of av sweat band, means forsecuring said band tofsaid body, and a piece of resilient material underlongitudinal tension and having an edge bound with relativelynon-stretchable material secured within said hat body 8. In a hat, thecombination with a hat body, of a sweat band, means for securing saidband in said body, and a piece of tenbetween said sweat band and said Ibody.

sioned folded resilient material doubled upon itself and having an edgebound with relatively non-stretchable material attached to saidband-securing means and disposed between saidband and said body.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set -my hand this 15th day ofFebruary, D.

WILLIAM CONNER.

